The Santa Monica Review has been arriving in the mail for years since, or just before, its editor Andrew Tonkovich came on the show. In it I’ve read stories and essays by colleagues, friends, and at least one student. I’ve always liked the journal. It’s literary without being pretentious.

But today, just now, in fact, I was knocked over by a piece in the Fall 2011 issue by Glen David Gold called “Despair.” It was originally a talk he gave at Squaw Valley Writers Conference. I’ve liked Gold’s writing since I read another essay by him in an anthology edited by Kevin Smokler that I wish I could remember the name of now. Bookends, maybe?

I want to tell all of the writers I know to read this essay. It’s the last piece in the book. Gold talks about how the writing is the thing. The process is the most sacred part of anything we do. You’ve heard this before, but the sum of all parts of Gold’s piece is nepenthean.

I’ll back up. I’ve been writing a chapter on forgiveness for my memoir, Blue Corvair. The forgiveness chapters are short and are sprinkled throughout the memoir. For the current chapter, I started with a quote from a Melissa Bank story. One character tells another that to forgive, all you have to do is decide that’s what you’re going to do. No reason. You just forgive because you want to move on. I Googled forgiveness with the idea that the first entry that appeared would be the one I’d follow.

It was Wikipedia. Great. What’s true, what’s made up… I started reading. Forgiveness is good for the health and it’s the most elevated was to be, from all religions’ point of view. I felt dizzy, and lay down with the journal to finish reading “Despair.”

Thank you, Andrew Tonkovich, for publishing Gold’s talk, and thank you, Glen David Gold, for your defiantly great prose.

Martin Smith, editor-in-chief of Orange Coast Magazine, will speak about “Writing and Publishing the Personal Essay” on Saturday, October 15, at 11 a.m. (doors open at 10:30). The free event takes place at the Orange Public Library & History Center, 407 E. Chapman Ave., Orange, CA 92866. Sonsored by California Writers Club, Orange County branch, the event celebrates California Writers Week, designated as the third week in October. For more information: www.calwritersorangecounty.org.

I’ll be there, moderating a memoir panel with Emma Forrest, Dan Fante, Matthew Logelin and Amy Ephron.  11:45.  A fun literary day, free, free parking….colorful…. Make a memory.  Join us!

Here’s a video…. for your viewing pleasure….and to get you to the fair!

Travis, setting up before the event

Danzy reads from You Are Free

In the background, Heidi talks with author Lynda Zussman. In the foreground, Danzy talks with poet Tina Lustig

Danzy, Heidi, and me

Tina, CJ Bahnsen, Heidi, Danzy, Debra Cross

What a great night with two brilliant authors and an intelligent crowd of writers, and readers.  If  you were there, and would like to hear them talk more about their books and writing, each will be on the show–Danzy next week and Heidi at the end of October. Stay informed by getting on the elist. Email penonfire at earthlink dot net and ask to be put on the elist.

Photography: C.J. Bahnsen

Here’s the link to the UCI class I’ll be teaching this fall. Writers of novels and memoirs…if you’re looking for a critiquing workshop, here’s a good place to start.

Marrie Stone interviews Justin Torres, author of We the Animals, and Helen Schulman, author of This Beautiful Life.

Download audio.

(Broadcast date: Aug 31, 2011)